


Matchmaker, Matchmaker...

by mnemosius



Category: Dragon Age: Inquisition
Genre: Awkward Flirting, M/M, Matchmaker Cassandra, and recruits varric to help get them together, cassandra is so done with it
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2015-03-07
Updated: 2015-03-07
Packaged: 2018-03-16 17:47:55
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,356
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/3497282
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/mnemosius/pseuds/mnemosius
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>In which Cassandra has had quite enough of the Commander of the Inquisition being oblivious of Dorian's intentions, and decides to do something about it.</p>
            </blockquote>





	Matchmaker, Matchmaker...

Ugh. This was getting ridiculous.

If had it had been up to her, Cassandra would have left the Commander alone in his foolishness, but he had requested that she personally observe him for signs of weakness. He respected her opinion, and she respected his talent as a leader - but Maker, how she hated that man’s stubbornness.

It was clear that Cullen was suffering from withdrawal after no longer taking lyrium. Cassandra could see the shaking that wracked his body when he thought no one was looking, and she knew just how tightly he was gripping his sword hilt all the time, trying desperately to stay upright. She had listened to him beg her, all pride thrown aside, to find a replacement for him. She had refused. He had the strength to see this through. She knew it. But Cullen was - if not a friend, something close to it. It hurt to see him in pain like this.

It was her duty to watch over him, make sure he never faltered, that he never showed the fatal weakness he was so convinced he had. And so she had, and while doing so she had stumbled upon a way to help the Commander through his pain. The solution was doing everything except quite literally throwing himself at him - and Cullen didn’t even seem to notice.

Dorian Pavus. It had taken a while for the Tevinter mage to earn her trust, but he had proven himself a staunch ally of Inquisitor Trevelyan and the Inquisition as a whole many times over now. He was frighteningly intelligent, sharp-tongued, and even she had to admit that he was attractive. And it seemed he had chosen Cullen as the focus of his affections.

Cassandra had watched the golden-haired Commander and the raven-haired mage spend time together more times than she could count, now. Alone, the times the two would encounter each other would appear merely coincidence. But she could see how the mage would set out to walk the battlements at just such a time, or how he would be enjoying the calming presence of the gardens at precisely the time Cullen came to pray. What’s more, she saw Cullen doing the same. He would seek Dorian out for chess, find a reason to be in the library when he had no need to, just to catch a glimpse of him. Once, Cassandra had seen the Commander staring at him from the other side of the rookery. The sad longing in his gaze - visible only for a moment - was enough to send a pang through her heart, and she couldn’t have that.

And yet whenever Dorian attempted to flirt with Cullen - and that was very, very often - the Commander would simply blush and say nothing. He seemed convinced that Dorian was simply teasing him, or that this was how he acted with everyone, not just him. While it was true that Dorian loved to flirt, the way he did with Cullen was different. It was gentler. His words weren’t quite so sharp, his gestures a little more expansive. It didn’t matter. Cullen met them all with the red-faced silence of a man who was convinced they meant nothing more than embarrassment.

Cassandra wasn’t Leliana or Josephine. She didn’t have armies of spies watching and puppeteering everything from the shadows, nor the gilded tongue and careful words that it would take to show Cullen just how stupid he was being. But she had something at her disposal that neither of them did.

She had her copies of Swords and Shields. And to her everlasting regret, she had the dwarf who wrote them.

***

“You are never to speak of this, dwarf,” Cassandra said, her eyes narrowed threateningly. “Are we understood?”

“My lips are sealed, Seeker, I promise,” Varric grinned. “So, what can I help my biggest fan with?”

Cassandra bit back a growl at that. After Trevelyan had told the dwarf about her love of his books, he had never let her forget it. She took a breath and prayed for the Maker to grant her patience.

“Your… romance stories,” she forced out, “are… good. You know that. I need to you to use that talent.”

Varric gave her a blank look for a moment, and then snorted. “You know, of all the things I thought you might have asked for, matchmaking advice was not one of them. Who’s the lucky man?”

“Not for me,” Cassandra said, furrowing her brow. “I’m asking you to help a friend.”

Varric’s eyebrows shot up, his blocky face showing actual surprise. “You have friends? Sorry, that came out wrong,” he said hastily. “I mean, you have friends you actually call friends?”

“Yes, Varric,” Cassandra said testily. “I can show emotions other than anger sometimes.”

“Could’ve fooled me,” the dwarf muttered. “So, who’s in need of a little nudge?”

“Cullen,” Cassandra stated flatly. “The sooner the better.”

“Curly?” Varric said. “Oh, good. I thought I was the only one getting frustrated with how badly he was dealing with Sparkler’s advances.”

“It’s painful to watch,” Cassandra sighed. “And given his… situation, I think Dorian could be of real help if only he would let him in.”

“Lyrium withdrawal, right?” Varric asked. “I’ve seen it before in Kirkwall. Curly’s doing well compared to how they ended up.”

“I agree. And having someone close to him can only help.”

“Why, Seeker,” Varric grinned, “I didn’t take you for a romantic.”

“I read your books, Varric. That should have made it clear enough.”

“Fair enough. Alright, so here’s the plan…”

***

It was one of Cullen’s better days. His previous night’s sleep had been blissfully free of nightmares, and when he had woken up, he had found that the aches and pains that had been part of his existence since giving up lyrium had abated somewhat. He had gotten to work immediately, and now he had the time to stop and take a breath. He walked out of his office and onto the battlements, staring at the mountains surrounding Skyhold. The air was crisp, but just warm enough to remain comfortable.  
He spotted Varric heading towards him from the left, and nodded in greeting.

“Curly,” The dwarf said. “I’m surprised to see you out here.”

“Hello, Varric,” Cullen said. “My work is done for the moment; I was merely stopping for a breath of fresh air.”

Varric grinned. “No, I mean I’m surprised you’re not with Sparkler.” The grin widened as he noticed the Commander’s blush in response. “Last I saw, he was looking for you to play a game?”

“Really?” Cullen asked, surprised. “Why hasn’t he come to me, then?”

Varric shrugged. “Hell, I don’t know. Maybe he was expecting to see you in the garden. If you have the time, why keep him waiting?”

“I… you’re right,” Cullen said, suddenly anxious. “Excuse me, I must be going.”

Varric waved him off, a wide grin on his face as soon as Cullen had turned around. A minute later, Cassandra made her way up the steps to him.

“Is everything ready?” Varric asked.

“Dorian should be heading to the garden now as well,” Cassandra replied. “I had Trevelyan ask him instead; she was enthusiastically for this plan when I told her. The garden is already set, as we discussed earlier. I saw to it myself. It looks… very nice.”

“Good.” Varric relaxed against the stone. “With that setup, even the most obtuse person wouldn’t be able to ignore the truth of the matter. You got out the good stuff?”

“I had Josephine help me with the wine choices,” Cassandra admitted. “She said at least Dorian would appreciate the quality. Leliana gave me the candles, and made sure the garden will be empty for the next hour.”

“Good work, Seeker,” Varric said, going to clap her on the back and then thinking better of it at the last moment. “Now, all we have to do is watch.”

***

When Cassandra saw Dorian saunter his way out of the Commander’s room the following morning with just a little extra sway to his step, she absolutely did not smile.

She most definitely did not smile. Shut up, Varric.

**Author's Note:**

> I can be reached at mnemosius.tumblr.com. Hope you liked it!


End file.
